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The City Pool
Jul. 26th, 2008 06:17 pmI started going to the city pool when I was around four years old. It was within walking distance of my house and from the front yard I could see teenagers diving off the high dive and listen to clatter of the bouncing diving board. My dad took my brother, sister, and I there after hours (he was a buddy of the manager) and we got our first swim with no one else.
The pool became a staple of our childhood summers, being so close and relatively inexpensive, my mom had no problem letting us walk to the pool and spend the day. The pool was many firsts for me. I saw my first naked woman when I accidentally walked into the ladies locker room at age 6. I saw my first naked man pretty much just by going in the men's side. My first real crush was Kenny, the furry lifeguard who was a shorter, stocky version of Tom Selleck.
While the twin was doing acrobatics off the high dive and the sister was sunning herself to a dark brown, I was acting like I was flying under the water, seeing how long I could hold my breath, and admiring the older brothers of some of my sister's friends, those who had already gone through puberty and started sprouting beards and chest hair.
Today was my first visit to the pool in easily 16 years. I was the oldest person there, older than the kids, older than the lifeguards. The pool only had a handful of patrons today. I enjoyed not having to leave the pool during the breaks and swimming in the twelve foot end. I did way too many cannonballs off the high dive, so many that my butt is actually sore from smacking the water repeatedly (awaiting jokes). After 90 minutes of constant swimming, I gave it up and left. It was good to revisit an old memory of sorts and sad that I walked away with a bruised rear end, proof that I am a bit too old to keep doing cannonballs.
The pool became a staple of our childhood summers, being so close and relatively inexpensive, my mom had no problem letting us walk to the pool and spend the day. The pool was many firsts for me. I saw my first naked woman when I accidentally walked into the ladies locker room at age 6. I saw my first naked man pretty much just by going in the men's side. My first real crush was Kenny, the furry lifeguard who was a shorter, stocky version of Tom Selleck.
While the twin was doing acrobatics off the high dive and the sister was sunning herself to a dark brown, I was acting like I was flying under the water, seeing how long I could hold my breath, and admiring the older brothers of some of my sister's friends, those who had already gone through puberty and started sprouting beards and chest hair.
Today was my first visit to the pool in easily 16 years. I was the oldest person there, older than the kids, older than the lifeguards. The pool only had a handful of patrons today. I enjoyed not having to leave the pool during the breaks and swimming in the twelve foot end. I did way too many cannonballs off the high dive, so many that my butt is actually sore from smacking the water repeatedly (awaiting jokes). After 90 minutes of constant swimming, I gave it up and left. It was good to revisit an old memory of sorts and sad that I walked away with a bruised rear end, proof that I am a bit too old to keep doing cannonballs.
